Courtly Dancing and Defence: Period 4, Week 3

[tricksy-spy.livejournal.com]

The class met in the Main Campfire today. At least partially to save Aly the trouble of moving to a new location. "Good to see you all back," she said, grinning as the class assembled. She gave a wink to those who were in the earlier class - Inara, Hinata, Liir, and someone else I'm forgetting - if they were all there, of course "I was worried half of you would drop when you realised you had a new teacher." She didn't look too terribly worried, no.

"Today we're going to talk about something very basic in terms of formal dance," she said. "And that's conversation. For anything, talking - being able to talk yourself into and out of trouble is the first line of defence, and it's no different while dancing. You may have noticed most partnered dances - and even country dances - have slower moments, moments when talking to your partner is not only encouraged but required by etiquette.

"So we're going to discuss how to flirt." Aly grinned. She obviously enjoyed this part. "If you're flirting, and you're not sure your partner's objectives are honourable, the best way to keep them away from you is to control the conversation. It's really the best way to keep out of trouble at all."


She turned on the music of a fairly stately waltz, nothing too fast or rythmically demanding and pinned up a large sheet of paper to the flag pole.

"These are my 'rules for flirting.' Some of you have seen them before - I know Inara has - and some of you might be shying away from the idea of flirting at all. But these are some easy hints to help you control the conversation while appearing polite, interesting, and not at all dangerous."

A Guide to Flirting.
1. Remain Still and Composed (not so still you forget to dance!)
2. Smile genuinely
3. Maintain as much eye contact as you can tolerate
4. Employ the same body language you would use with an old friend
5. Your opening statement is crucial
6. Assess then focus on the other person's interests
7. Mirror body language and echo speech patterns
8. Plan in advance what you're going to say about yourself
9. Be prepared for likely topics
10. Maintain unshakeable confidence no matter what
11. Work the silences

She looked back at the board. "Some of these are rather obvious. 'Smile genuinely.' I'm sure you've all met someone who just pulled his teeth back from his lips and called that a smile. It's not and it won't inspire warm feelings or even a smile in return. 'Your opening statement is crucial.' It's all the other person has to reply to, and when you're making contacts or flirting, you don't want to force the burden of the conversation on the other person. So don't box yourself in. Don't say 'wow, sure is hot in here.' What if the other person likes the heat? Ask them what they think and move on from there. Everyone likes talking about him or herself so find out their interests and focus your attention there."

Aly paused then rolled her eyes slightly. "But not to the exclusion of talking about yourself. Don't dodge questions. It's obvious and anyone smart enough to be your agent is smart enough to notice. I realise that sort of thing looks really good in the spy films or novels, but it just doesn't generally work. Give the person a reason to keep talking to you, give them a reason to share information about themselves. That's why you're planning in advance what you want to say."

"Any questions? Comments? Concerns? What I'd like for today then is for everyone to pair up with someone they don't know and dance an easy waltz - or any dance today, it's the movement and the talking that matters. While you're dancing, use these guidelines, get to know the other person, don't let your composure down. If you have any problems, you know where to find me. If anyone needs a dance partner, I can do that too."

[OOC: OCD isa-comin' in! Up! (*salsas*)]

Comments

Sign In Dancily!

[tricksy-spy.livejournal.com]

To Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaance Class!

Re: Sign In Dancily!

[senor-chado.livejournal.com]

Yasutora Sado

Re: Sign In Dancily!

[therhimineecat.livejournal.com]

Seregil i Korit (etc)

Re: Sign In Dancily!

[wannabehunter]

Jo Harvelle

Listen to the Dancey Lecture

[tricksy-spy.livejournal.com]

Or chit-chat.

Re: Listen to the Dancey Lecture

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

Aly's description of flirtation sounded like making regular conversation to John, so he figured he'd do okay at that part.

Re: Listen to the Dancey Lecture

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Liir was pretty sure he'd fall flat on his face when he tried this. Him and small talk?

Pretty much a NOTP.

Re: Listen to the Dancey Lecture

[wannabe-pan.livejournal.com]

Oh, geeze, Andrew thought as he listened to the lecture.

Re: Listen to the Dancey Lecture

[senor-chado.livejournal.com]

Chad listened to the lecture carefully, but he was a little confused as he did so. He guessed he could understand what Aly's meaning by it was, but he had a good feeling that if he tried to do any of this, it would be a lot more trouble than benefit.

Re: Listen to the Dancey Lecture

[wannabehunter]

Jo attempted to pay attention.

Between the moping around like a mopey thing.

Re: Listen to the Dancey Lecture

[therhimineecat.livejournal.com]

The things that Aly were talking about were nothing new to Seregil and he looked forward to the practical part of the class.

Ask Danceful Questions

[tricksy-spy.livejournal.com]

Gracefully!

Or...confusedly!

Step It Up and Dance!

[tricksy-spy.livejournal.com]

The goal here isn't so much the dancing as the maintaining conversation and maintaining control of the conversation while putting in place the guidelines Aly discusses.

Re: Step It Up and Dance!

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Liir was almost hoping no one would attempt to dance with him. But he stood around and looked interested anyway; leave it up to luck to decide, he figured.

Not that luck had ever been that kind to him.

Re: Step It Up and Dance!

[wannabe-pan.livejournal.com]

He stood there, tapping his foot. He was clinging to that bit about partnering up with someone you didn't know. Maybe if his smile was large and genuine enough, everyone would figure they already knew him.

Re: Step It Up and Dance!

[senor-chado.livejournal.com]

Chad kind of figured it would be best for everyone if he just sort of hung back a little, and hope that, if anyone approached him about dancing and the conversation flirting thing, they understood that it came with the caveat that not only did Chad suck at multitasking, but he also wasn't very good at any of these things.

Re: Step It Up and Dance!

[makescherries.livejournal.com]

Cimorene noticed someone who was, for once, taller than her, and came up, curtsying.

Re: Step It Up and Dance!

[wannabehunter]

Jo was totally ready to provide witty and scintillating conversation.

Really. Uh huh.

Re: Step It Up and Dance!

[therhimineecat.livejournal.com]

Seregil smiled at the blonde. "May I have this dance?" he asked gallantly.

Re: Step It Up and Dance!

[athosborn.livejournal.com]

Dancing usually felt fairly natural to Teyla, so she was thinking more about the conversation aspect as she looked around for a partner.

Re: Step It Up and Dance!

[missed-the-gate.livejournal.com]

John had heard the bit about going with someone new-ish, so he thought he'd give Teyla a try. "Looking for a partner?"

Talk to Or Dance With Aly

[tricksy-spy.livejournal.com]

as you do.

Dancing OOC!

[tricksy-spy.livejournal.com]

I love Step It Up and Dance.

This love may colour this class.

If Aly nicknames someone Cody, you'll know why.

Re: Dancing OOC!

[therhimineecat.livejournal.com]

Seregil's the other student in both classes. (And being forgotten means he's doing well at blending in? ;) )

Re: Dancing OOC!

[light-a-spark.livejournal.com]

Roy is rather amused that Aly managed to make her first class on dancing to be about flirting.